As mentioned last week, changes in technology can be an issue with remakes. Generally, the isn’t a problem for period pieces and works set in an older era; the technology is well understood and can be replicated. Works set in the future can run into the tech curve, but can technobabble* around it. However, works set in the here and now but first produced several decades ago might wind up running into the curve hard.

Fantasy and historical pieces have set technology. One doesn’t expect cell phones, GPS, or the Internet in medieval Europe. Historical research may find new facts on events, but those can be adapted into the narrative or be used as inspiration for a new story. Steampunk adds a new technology, but typically isn’t that much more advanced than the existing tech of the Victorian era. Charles Babbage’s difference engine was never built, but he did have plans for it.

Works set in the future tend to not go into full detail of the existing technologies. The idea is that, like today, the average person doesn’t know the full details of what they’re using. The typical computer user of today has little knowledge of programming languages like C; likewise, in the future, the average user won’t need to know how the system was built but only how to use it effectively. A few works have been affected by technology changes. Most have worked around it. In particular, Star Trek introduced transtater technology as the current state of the art. In 1967, the transistor was cutting edge, but would later be supplanted by the silicon chip. Star Trek: The Next Generation adapted to the change by introducing the isolinear chip, measured in teraquads of capacity, thus allowing for improvements in Federation technology and an out for future changes of real-life tech.

The catch happens with modern and near-future works. The past thirty years have seen computers go from house-sized to handheld, communications go from expensive bulky corded car phones to the ubiquitous smart phone tied to the Internet. Storage capacity has gone from kilobytes to terabytes. What can be done to update a work properly or ensure a work doesn’t age badly?

Roll With It. Ignore the tech curve, especially if the work is set in the here and now.  The James Bond movies are a good example. All of 007’s gadgets were advanced for the time they were made, either miniaturizing existing technology or getting creative with existing items. While some gadgets are still not available, such as the BMW’s remote in Tomorrow Never Dies, they are still believable given the computerization of modern cars.

Quietly Accept the Change. If the technology isn’t as important to the story as the events and the characterization, then just use moden equipment and forget it. Why worry about the specifics when the idea in the original work was to show the characters with typical, cheap, or expensive items of the time. Update the idea, not the specifics. The James Bond movies again show a good example. The Aston-Martin DB V in Goldfinger was updated with a Aston-Martin V12 Vanquish in Die Another Day, with the tire shredders replaced by lasers. In both movies, the car represented a high-end British sports car, appropriate for Bond to drive.

Sometimes, though, there’s not getting around the curve. In this case, Avoid Specifics When Possible. Given how fast computer capacity grows, providing specific numbers will date the work. The film version of Johnny Mnemonic ran into this; the titular character was only capable of storing 160 gigbytes in his head, though he took on 320GB. Today, netbooks can have that much hard drive storage, though Johnny had the memory in his head.** Unfortunately, the numbers were needed to give the audience an idea of how much data was being stored. This leads to…

Ignore the Curve. Sometimes, there’s no getting around the technology. The devices are critical to the story. Specifics are needed, even if the values date fast. This situation is rare, but can show up, such as in Johnny Mnemonic as mentioned above.  There are still ways around the tech curve. Downplay, if possible, the technology. If adapting, acknowledge the obsolescence. If creating the original work, leave room for creative adaptation.

Finally, Play With the Curve. Not only is the old technology accepted, it’s pointed out. The 2008 film adaptation Get Smart not only brought back the gadgets from the original series, including the iconic shoe phone, but played up the tech difference with cell phones*** and had Agent 86 use the items despite their age. Often, playing with the curve is done for laughs, such as in Get Smart, but it can be done seriously.

Next time, return of the reviews?

* Technobabble: A mish-mash of technical jargon that sounds impressive but means nothing.
** Today, he’d have a USB port at the base of his neck.
*** Though a Get Smart TV reboot did introduce shoe waiting.

If you’ve been following this column long enough, you’ll have noticed that the main key to  a successful reboot, remake, or adaptation is respect for the original work. Sounds easy enough; make sure that the new work holds up to the expectations of the original. However, many remakes have failed because the new work treated the original badly. Today’s entry takes a look at the different means of failure.

Continuity
In long running works, continuity builds up. History builds up over time, and, even in the original work, can only be ignored if there’s a reason. In an reboot or an adaptation, fans will expect the continuity to be there; the Internet will be aflame with news of breaks from canon within minutes of fans perceiving the miss. Continuity is a bugbear; even original works, such as comics, can see ignoring and even retconning* causing uproars.

Avoiding can be easy enough. Simplest way is to provide a new continuity. Remakes work well here as they are a retelling of the original story. Not everything can be handwaved away, but some minor changes may slip through unnoticed. Marvel’s Ultimate line was an attempt to essentially reboot the Marvel universe to get rid of decades of contradictory continuity. DC’s animated universe**, aka the Dini-verse***, was similar, creating a new setting to retell stories of classic titles but also allowing for new stories.

Another method is to set up the reason for the continuity break. Fantasy and science fiction have many ways to create alternate timelines, parallel universes, and slightly off dimensions. The Star Trek reboot created an alternate universe after the villain travelled back in time to destroy critical parts and people of the Federation.

Or, one can be blazen and just ignore the previous work altogether. What helps in a move like this is using an original that’s either obscure or already looked down upon. Also helping, having a solid cast with stellar writing. The new Battlestar Galactica went down this path; the original series was remembered by the general public as being not so serious. Taking the premise and treating it in a far more dramatic manner allowed the new Galactica to catch people’s attention.

Vehicle
Many failed remakes can be traced to treating the new work as first a vehicle for its star then as a proper adaptation. Often, the new work takes the premise of the original and turns it into a comedy, even if the premise wasn’t one to start. This creates a problem as fans of the original will get turned off by the idea of their old fandom being treated as a joke and fans of the star wondering what is going on in the story. The remakes of Starsky & Hutch and Land of the Lost are prime examples of the problem. However, the trend tends to remain with older television series.

Passage of Time
Sometimes, a work just doesn’t age well. History marches on. Technology evolves.  Humanity’s knowledge of the universe expands. Remakes of works set in an historical era can be updated to take into account new information. Remakes of works set in the future can take into account changes in today’s technology. Works set in the modern era may run into the tech curve hard, though. Cell phones can destroy many a sitcom; imagine if two people misunderstanding each other called each other to clear things up; now fill in the remaining twenty minutes.

Comedies aren’t immune, sitcom example above notwithstanding. The first episode of Get Smart started at the theatre, actors performing on stage. Then a phone rings. In the 60s, it just wasn’t possible to have a portable phone; the gag was funny when Max leaves to answer his shoe. Today? Not so funny; cell phones are a nuisance in theatres of all types.  However, the Get Smart remake movie acknowledged the old gadgets and used them in clever ways.

These aren’t the only ways to sabotage a remake. However, they are obvious when seen.  Other ways will be covered in later columns.

Next week, the technology curve.

* Retroactive continuity, or “No, really, it’s always been this way; we have no idea of what you’re talking about.”
** Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, and Justice League.
*** After Paul Dini, producer.

Reviews & Revues
Apologies again. The reviews will return. Life can sometimes conspire against me.

However, I noticed an ad on the bus ride home recently, leading me to realize that I’ve completely ignored one adaptation completely – musical theatre. A number of works have been adapted, from comic books (Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark) to alternate interpretation of a character from a movie adapted from a book (Wicked). It’s not a new idea – Andrew Lloyd Webber made his career adapting other stories to stage musicals, including Jesus Christ, Superstar and Phantom of the Opera. However, the source has changed.

The ad mentioned earlier was for Young Frankenstein: The Musical, based on the Mel Brooks movie parody of Frankenstein and other horror standards. Today’s musical is more likely to adapt from pop culture. Among the properties mined are Evil Dead and Disney’s Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. The switch to theatre brings in a different restrictions than in other media. There is no post-production to add in CGI. There are no second takes.  There are no multiple camera angles. The stage adapation has to be able to take the existing work and boil it down so that the invisible fourth wall is believable.

Looking Forward
It’s an adaptational summer movie season. Coming soon, The Avengers, taking Marvel Comics’ Ultimate Avengers and bringing it to the silver screen. The movie follows a string of hits, including Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor. Two characters won’t be in it, Ant-Man and Wasp, and it appears that they’re being replaced by Hawkeye and Black Widow. Also now being advertised, Men In Black III. Given the length of time since the second movie, I’m hoping the existance of the movie means the writers had what they thought was good idea for a story instead of an exec saying, “Let’s exploit the franchise.”

Future Plans
One thing I have been trying to find is a work that didn’t successfully adapt a work but was still popular enough to be considered a success, either financially or critically.  Real Steel looks like it’d fit the bill; the original short story was about human boxer taking the place of his broken down android in a robot boxing league while the movie was more heart warming for the family. Other suggestions will be welcomed.

Next week, Lost in Translation will return . . .

A new feature of Lost in Translation, reporting on various remakes and adapations in the works.

JK Rowling’s publisher has announced the title of her next book, The Casual Vacancy. The book will be Rowling’s first non-Potter book and will be out September 27 this year.

A Game of Thrones has been renewed for a third season. The third season will only cover a portion of the third book, A Storm of Swords. The showrunners acknowledge that A Storm of Swords couldn’t be properly covered in ten episodes, and they will be trying to fit in the action from A Feast for Crows and A Dance With Dragons as those two novels take place during the same time frame. HBO’s co-president Richard Plepler is willing to give the series the time to develop properly, as long as George R.R. Martin is willing. (Now this is how to adapt an epic novel series properly.)

A Short Circuit remake is in the works. No production start has been announced.

Part of the Sony collapse? Sony Pictures will be remaking Sabrina the Teenage Witch as a live-action superhero movie. The biggest change seems to be changing the focus of Sabrina living as a witch among mundanes to Sabrina learning to cope with her powers.

A movie promotes physical activity! Thanks to The Hunger Games, more people are looking into archery. The movie has earned over $300 million at the box office, making it the second fastest to cross that line. Only Avatar was faster to break that mark.

Next week, back to the reviews.

Blogcritics has a an article, Seven Terrific Films That Are Truly Poor Adaptations, that relates well to this column’s interests.  It goes to show that it is possible to not follow the original work and still have a movie that is entertaining and thought-provoking.

You’ve got your story idea. You want to make it big. You hear the call of Hollywood. What’s next? As seen here at Fan To Pro, Hollywood might not be your first step. The vagaries of the business and the sheer competition just to be noticed can be off-putting. And, as can be seen in the line up of upcoming movies, Hollywood isn’t taking many chances on original work without a big name behind it.* There are other options, though.

Make it big elsewhere
Since the trend these days is in adaptations, reboots, and remakes**, you need to make it big somewhere else. Ideally, you’ve already had a hit that can be remade or rebooted, but that’s something very few people can really do, since both involve already being part of the Hollywood system. That leaves creating something that can be adapted. Write a best-selling book or create a popular game, video or otherwise. The skies the limit. About the only medium not adapted yet is the webcomic***, but it’s just a matter of time.

Ideally, you’ll have a strong plot, memorable characters, drama, comedy, and a heart-warming moral. Given some of the upcoming adaptations, like Battleship, they’re not needed. However, without a major toy company publishing your game for several generations, those elements help. There are other items to consider, though. For one, think about how the work could be adapted in the future. If a Hollywood studio were to release it as a PG-13 film, would your work suffer? Not all works have gone that route, but age ratings may play a part in getting noticed. For a movie, the ideal rating is PG-13, allowing younger viewers in while still keeping an older audience’s attention.

However, not all works become a movie. Some become television series, a longer format that allows for a more intricate plot and greater details. Going with the traditional broadcast networks still requires an eye to the age ratings; certain words aren’t allowed before the watershed and others just aren’t allowed at all. However, cable specialty channels aren’t as handcuffed. What can only be hinted at on a broadcast network can be shown cable. The need for Nielsen ratings isn’t as great, either. Cable channels look at subscriber numbers, and if a show brings in new subscribers just to see that show, the channel is happy.

Adapt somewhere else
However, the competition is still stiff and the gatekeepers’ decision making makes about as much sense as a cat with a Ouija board. Still, you want your work adapted. Look outside the US. Many countries have a thriving entertainment industry and are looking to fill time slots and tax deductions. Take a look at how other countries approach entertainment and give your work the needed slant. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation has a lot of Canadian content, as expected. A story with a Canadian slant could get their interest.

As an added bonus, making it big elsewhere may get Hollywood interested. Many popular TV shows in the US were adapted from foreign works, including All in the Family (Til Death Do Us Part), The Office (The Office), and Three’s Company (Man About the House). Movies have also been imported and remade; for a while, Japanese horror movies were getting Hollywood remakes.

Look elsewhere
And, sometimes, even getting noticed is impossible, even with the ideal work. All is not lost. Comic books, video games, tabletop games, all of these media have adapted works, even between themselves.**** With such cross-adaptation, Hollywood may even notice.

Hopefully, this will help get a work adapted well by the Hollywood machine. Never hurts to try.

Next week, a surprise.

* Possibly not even then. George Lucas had to guarantee the distribution costs of Red Tails, the movie about the Tuskegee Airmen, because no studio would even bite at the movie otherwise.
** Without this trend, there would be no Lost in Translation.
*** Technically, Order of the Stick has been adapted into a board game, but that’s outside Hollywood.
**** Oddest one could be the DC Comics adaptation of TSR’s Gammarauders board game.

Over half a million Macs have been infected by the Flashback virus.  The virus creates a botnet designed to steal personal information.  A new variant was found over the weekend that takes advantage of a vulnerability in Java that Apple released a patch for today.

Takeaways:

– Keep up to date on patches, especially when online.

– Don’t get cocky about whatever platform you’re running.  For a while, Mac enthusiasts laughed at how vulnerable to viruses Windows was.  Now, the Mac is as vulnerable.

-ScottD

A teaching aide was suspended for not showing her employer her Facebook account.  As mentioned a few times here at Fan To Pro, employers have been demanding access to interviewees’ Facebook passwords.  This may be the first time that an already employed person has been suspended for it.  The original complaint came about when a photo was posted to the aide’s Facebook page and was seen by a parent who was a friend of a co-worker.  The principal demanded access, the aide refused and was thus suspended after having union representation denied.  The aide is now going after back pay through legal means.

Remember, according to Facebook’s Terms of Service, sharing a password is a violation.  The image in question was taken when the aide was not working.  And, while teachers and teaching aides appear to have more scrutiny on them by the community, they, too, deserve privacy like we all do.

–Scott D

Over the past three decades, comic books have been mined for movies and TV series. The past few years have seen comic book movies bringing droves of people into the theatres.  What makes for a successful comic to other media adaptation?

As mentioned many times in Lost in Translation, the bulk of the work is done. The characters are created, their looks are easily found, the setting has already been fleshed out. Many superheroes are well known to the general public, guaranteeing interest in the adaptation. A first draft of the storyboards already exists. There is a built-in crowd already in the readers of the comics. The balancing act lies in maintaining faithfulness to the original work while still making the adaptation palpable to the general audience.  There are several ways to go about the process.

Animation
Creating an animated adaptation is a natural step. Most comic book adaptations have gone this way; comic to cartoon and manga to anime. The advantages of animating include being able to portray the characters as they appear in the comic, easy to predict costs as compared to live-action adaptations*, and ease of special effects. The drawback is falling into the animation ghetto, where people assume that, since the show or movie is animated, it is automatically for kids. The drawback could limit the size of the audience and how faithful the adaptation is.

Live-Action Movie
With the proper backing and budgeting, a live-action feature film of a comic can be done.  The mere fact of a cinematic adaptation can get the fans a-stir and, with a well-known character, might even get non-readers interested enough to see the movie. The catch, though, is that the budget needs to be large enough to cover the necessary special effects for the characters’ powers and to get a name involved to draw in non-fans. As well, fans will become more vocal about the portrayal of the adapted title. Costuming may become difficult or impossible**. Movies that are being touted for a major action blockbuster may also be limited to just the A-listers*** of the publisher to ensure that a return on investment is seen. B-list heroes have been used to various degrees of success, though.

Live-Action Television Series
Sometimes, the best format for a comic is a regular TV series, either on one of the traditional broadcasters or on a specialty channel. Viewers are more likely to give a show an episode or two to find its feet. While having an A-lister as the focus character will get people to watch, a B-lister or even a C-lister could pick up an audience. The drawback returns to budgeting for special effects, though a careful choice of heroes can mitigate the problem.

The Origin
One thing that will come up in a superhero adaptation is the origin story, how the hero came to be. While some heroes have a well-know background – Superman’s flight from his doomed homeworld Krypton and being raised by the Kents; the death of Batman’s parents and his quest to keep the city of Gotham safe – others are only aware to comic book fans. Time will be spent on the origin. Ideally, the hero is an active participant in the origin; early conflict and drama will keep viewers hooked before the main plot starts.  Spider-Man’s origin is a good example of the hero being involved; Peter Parker may have been bit by a radioactive spider, but his reaction after discovering his powers and the fateful choice to not get involved leading to the death of his uncle is all under his control. Superman’s origin, however, is more passive; he was rescued and sent off in a rocket as a baby while his world exploded and was raised right by a couple who couldn’t have children of their own. The conflict and drama are lacking in Superman’s case.

The Villain
In most successful superhero movies, the villain either has a personal link to the hero (for example, Norman Osbourne in Spider-Man and Obadiah Stane in Iron Man), represents the diametric opposite of the hero (the Joker in Batman), or cannot be defeated using the hero’s main abilities (Lex Luthor in Superman). Sometimes, a theme starts appearing in a hero’s rogue’s gallery that emphasizes the hero’s abilities. Spider-Man’s gallery has a scientific bent with Doctor Octopus and the Lizard. Batman’s rogues run the gamut of mental health disorders. The catch, though, is that the villain shouldn’t be killed off by the end the episode or the movie. Very few villains die in the comics, and fewer still stay dead.

The Setting
Historically, most comics are set in New York City. This came about because the publishers, writers, and artists were in New York City. DC writers tended to rename the city while Marvel kept their characters in a facsimile of the real world. The city becomes another character, lending its air to the work. The dark, foreboding atmosphere of Gotham City adds to the Batman stories while the brightness of Metropolis**** reflect Superman’s fight for Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Even the real New York City can present different atmospheres. The busy Midtown Manhattan, where Spider-Man fights crime and villainy, allows the Webhead to make snappy comments as he batters his opponents with verbal quips. Meanwhile, the rundown area of Hell’s Kitchen provides a backdrop for both Daredevil and Cloak & Dagger‘s fight for the disadvantages against the those who would steamroller them.

Bringing Things Together
To show how the adaptations could work, I’ll use several examples in parallel. First, an A-list example for a hypothetical live action movie – DC’s Wonder Woman. Next, for a live-action TV series, Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger. Finally, to go through the thought process that I hope gets used, one of my own works, Subject 13.

Starting off, I already know how I’m adapting both Wonder Woman and Cloak & Dagger.  However, Subject 13‘s format is in the air. Given the strong language used by the main character, an animated adaptation is out of the question unless aired late at night on a specialty channel. A live-action movie won’t work as well as I’d hope because the character is practically unknown. That leaves the live-action TV series on a specialty channel, unless there’s a way to reduce the language without losing characterization.

The setting is the next. Wonder Woman is based out of two locations, New York City and Themyscira. Given those locations, she’s set for a story that combines modern sensibilities with Greek myths and the conflict between the two. Cloak & Dagger are based out of Hell’s Kitchen in New York City, suitable to tell stories about fighting for the underdog and of survival. /Subject 13/ is, at least at the beginning, also set in New Yotk City, a mix of working class apartment neighbourhood and a private school, allowing for a fish out of water backdrop to the main character’s discovery of her abilities and figuring out what she’s doing.

The origin of each will be dealt with. Wonder Woman’s is fairly quick – she was made from clay then given life after her mother prayed to the Greek goddesses. Cloak & Dagger’s origin can easily fill an episode as two teens from opposite sides of society are kidnapped and given an experimental drug that triggered their mutant abilities. Their origin can return as they deal with elements from the gang that was looking for a new street drug. Subject 13‘s origin is important to the storyline, as she escapes from an evil consortium, but the actual moment where she becomes a hero could be done during the opening credits of the pilot.

Depiction of powers needs to be looked at, mainly for budget issues. Since my hypothetical Wonder Woman adaptation is meant to be a summer blockbuster, her powers won’t have limits. However, since her powers include super-strength, the Lasso of Truth, and invulnerability, portraying them won’t be difficult, just using camera tricks and props.  Cloak & Dagger might get expensive for television; Cloak is a gateway into a dimension of darkness while Dagger generates living light. Fortunately, decades of science fiction has made laser blasts easy to do and Cloak’s power can be simulated with lighting when needed.  As for Subject 13, she has a powered punch that flares when she hits. The power isn’t used often as it tends to end fights when she connects; the budget for the power should be easy to control.

The villains for the adaptations now comes into play. Wonder Woman’s rogues gallery tends to come from Greek myth. Tie in the locations, and Ares trying to start World War III through manipulating the United Nations makes for a good baseline for a plot. For Cloak & Dagger, the general theme for the first season is survival and adapting to being on the outside of society. Villains can include various gangs and, if we look at later works featuring the characters, toss in D’Spayre, a demon who can resist both characters’ powers, at the end of the season. In /Subject 13/, the origin ties directly to the villains, an evil consortium who was responsible for her getting her powers.

To sum up, Wonder Woman, if done well, should get a good audience. The adapters will have to make sure that the costume reminds the casual fan of her classic one. Cloak & Dagger, being a lesser known title, could work on TV if the drama is played up. Meanwhile, Subject 13, even with the language issue, could work as a live-action series with its on going plot, though her complete lack of fame in the general population without any ties to an existing property could work against the show’s survival

Next time, more stuff!

* Crew, cast, computer equipment (having replaced cels, paint, and ink) vs costs of different special effects based on the needs of the episode/movie.
** Particularly for the women in the film. Some comic costumes defy the laws of physics while revealing more skin than most bikinis.
*** The characters that are known far and wide. DC’s A-listers include Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. Marvel’s are Spider-Man, Wolverine, Captain America and, as groups, the X-Men and the Avenger. A-listers get on the list by wide exposure through comics, animated adaptations, movie adaptations, and cultural drift.
**** Technically, originally modelled on Toronto.

Quick one here.

Canadian rock groups from the 90s are getting a second look.   Digital distribution is making it easier for the bands to get their work out to the fans.  One, Big Wreck, had their first number one single, “Albatross”, fifteen years after their debut album.  One of the advantages of digital distribution is avoiding the needs of studios and radio stations.

Main takeaway here is the reduced influence of music companies in the relationship between band and fan.  Radio is becoming less influential, as well.  These bands making comebacks aren’t getting the radio play they used to in the 90s, but are still touring.  New bands might want to take a look at how these Canadian groups are getting themselves known.